Yea, I think he is suffering a bit from the proverbial sophomore slump, buuuut, if you look at his numbers, his pace really isn't off by much from the one he set last season. Sure, it's a step backwards, and it is made much more apparent because some other forwards on the team had been struggling as well, but still, not even a full 40 games in, I would say he has time to right his ship.

Let's also not forget that Mr. Thomas Vanek was brought in with the idea that Vanek would be sniper extraordinaire, and presumably, on the top line where Granlund was expected to be the regular centerman, and the combination of Granlunds speed and puck distribution skills and Vanek's size, speed and sniping skills would yield some consistent goal scoring.

Obviously THAT hasn't happened on a regular basis, but again, there is still time for these guys to get their act together.....even though admittedly, I am a bit sour on Vanek right now as a Wild fan and am REALLY beginning to think signing him was a mistake and that perhaps a Mike Cammallari would have been a better fit for Minnesota...but that is for another thread....

Personally, I like what I see in Granlund.

Yes, he seems to have taken a step or so backwards as far as point production, but when you consider that when he first came over from Europe, he looked like he literally had NO CLUE how to handle the close quarters, more physical North American game, and the strides he has made in a short time in his still infant NHL career to adapt himself better to the game here, I think overall, one can't say he has been disappointing.

Despite his size, he can NOW be found going into high traffic areas of the ice, take the body as a forechecker, and even take some fierce hits from the opposition, pop back up, not worry about complaining to the ref, and just keep his motor going.

I saw him when Minnesota first brought him over, and he shied away from any and all contact, and would not be caught DEAD skating towards the net where big nasty defensemen were waiting to smash him.

No longer.

22 yrs old (23 in Feb)....yea, I give him a bit of a pass on his slight missteps offensively this season, considering all the other areas he has grown up real fast in....including some decent defensive play.

Now......let's see how the Wild fare with their top center (sophomore slump or not) out of action.

This is obviously going to force some forwards to play either out of position or on an upper line where they normally wouldn't.....but the bright side here is, the rest of the team will either sink together during the 4 week stretch, or finally step their games up to where they should have been all season (particularly the forwards), so when Granlund gets back, he will have some solid linemates to help HIM get going at a better pace than what he was pre-injury.

Charlie Coyle has been playing lost of wing with Granlund in the lineup....I am thinking he will see more time as a Center now...hopefully, he will get a shot at top line center, and leave Mikko Koivu as Center #2.

Now......let's see how the Wild fare with their top center (sophomore slump or not) out of action.

This is obviously going to force some forwards to play either out of position or on an upper line where they normally wouldn't.....but the bright side here is, the rest of the team will either sink together during the 4 week stretch, or finally step their games up to where they should have been all season (particularly the forwards), so when Granlund gets back, he will have some solid linemates to help HIM get going at a better pace than what he was pre-injury.

Charlie Coyle has been playing lost of wing with Granlund in the lineup....I am thinking he will see more time as a Center now...hopefully, he will get a shot at top line center, and leave Mikko Koivu as Center #2.

After having wrist surgery a couple months ago, Mr. Granlund says he feels great, onlookers have said he looked good in practice, and teammates are happy to have their number one Center back in the lineup tonight in Edmonton as Minnesota kicks off a three city Western Canadian road trip.

Now this means the other centers Charlie Coyle and Erik Haula can go back to their bottom six roles (though I think Coyle would do better as the 2 with Koivu as the 3, but that's not happening this year).

If Mikael Granlund is going to make ANY sort of impression on Minnesota brass beyond the next couple seasons that he, indeed, is a guy they want to give a nice long term contract to, then shouldering the load for this team on this road trip would be a good place to start.

After having wrist surgery a couple months ago, Mr. Granlund says he feels great, onlookers have said he looked good in practice, and teammates are happy to have their number one Center back in the lineup tonight in Edmonton as Minnesota kicks off a three city Western Canadian road trip.

Now this means the other centers Charlie Coyle and Erik Haula can go back to their bottom six roles (though I think Coyle would do better as the 2 with Koivu as the 3, but that's not happening this year).

If Mikael Granlund is going to make ANY sort of impression on Minnesota brass beyond the next couple seasons that he, indeed, is a guy they want to give a nice long term contract to, then shouldering the load for this team on this road trip would be a good place to start.

Let's see what he's got tonight!

Maybe he can become the greatest playmaker from finland Yea but i thought Mikko was your guys number 1 center?

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Maybe he can become the greatest playmaker from finland Yea but i thought Mikko was your guys number 1 center?

Hey, you never know....but right now, the Wild will settle for a GOOD playmaker...not necessarily the best Finnish playmaker.

As for Mikko, when he first came to the Wild, showed his promise as an offensive force, then subsequently given that big contract, he WAS viewed as the number one C....but over time, it has become clear, that while he does have offense as part of his game, he is a very good two way type player who seems to be at his best when he is playing shut down center, instead of offensive center.

And with the emergence of guys like Granlund and Coyle (ok, ok, Coyle still has a bit more to go before we can say he can eclipse Koivu), I'd say Mikko's best role in the team is that of a 3rd line center (who can score, not just check), 2nd PP unit guy, and sometimes move him up to 2nd line C if injuries force that.

Of course what he is being PAID says otherwise, but money aside, IMO, Mikko right now, is a borderline top six player/excellent 3rd line player.

And I have pissed off several Wild fans in the past saying that (and I actually LIKE Mikko Koivu), but that's the way it looks from where I sit......and I HAVE heard from Fox Sports North analysts and some other local radio analysts, that should the younger guys come completely into their own, Mikko should be expecting to have to take a backseat to those guys.... i.E bottom six minutes.

I've seen that goal, but I didnt know it was him. Saw it on a compilation. Seriously though, this kid is immensely talented, cant wait to see how he will turn out in his prime...hopefully for the better
Edited March 8, 2015 by JagerMeister

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I've seen that goal, but I didnt know it was him. Saw it on a compilation. Seriously though, this kid is immensely talented, cant wait to see how he will turn out in his prime...hopefully for the better

I hope so too. He is my favorite younger guy on the wild(i'm sure my avi gave that away) Good playmaker and just fun too watch.

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@JagerMeister Well, one thing for sure, he seems to have no real challengers for 1st line center and top pp minutes...and will play with Praise, so for a guy with his skill set, the sky is the limit. I also think he took a while getting used to North America....so more comfortable next season.

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@JagerMeister Well, one thing for sure, he seems to have no real challengers for 1st line center and top pp minutes...and will play with Praise, so for a guy with his skill set, the sky is the limit. I also think he took a while getting used to North America....so more comfortable next season.

Agreed on having no challengers for the 1C position.

I raised the ire of more than a few Wild fans when I suggested about two seasons ago that Granlund would be the 1C that Mikko Koivu could never be.

And it's not that I don't like Koivu, like some fans thought, its just that, really, he is a 2C at best, but ideally, an EXCELLENT two way 3C who could produce if given some equally skilled bruising type wingers.

But Granlund really is special...or at least, has the potential to be.

I saw it a bit in the World Juniors from a few years ago when he still played in the Finnish Elite league and when he came over to the Americas, he struggled a bit with the North American close quarters type game, was sent to the minors, honed his skills and came back a different player...a BETTER player...in very short order.

That tells me the guy can see what is going on, make adjustments without changing his style too much and STILL play with the NHL's best.

And you know what?

I think other teams in the league know he is becoming a very dangerous and key piece of Minnesota's offense and in just about every game, the nastiest type defensemen are assigned to him, the other team's biggest bruisers are always taking runs at him trying to intimidate him....hey, teams wouldn't bother so much if he was just this little Euro guy who can skate a bit.

They recognize his skill now, and what it could be, and want to make sure he isn't too comfortable because then he will burn teams on a regular basis.

To Granlund's credit, he isn't letting any of that stuff faze him either.

His own teammates realize what an important piece he is and you will ALWAYS see someone retaliate whenever runs are taken at Granlund.

Just this season in fact, the Wild had to do without Mikael for a stretch. Coincidentally, the offense struggled.

Yea, some others stepped up (as one would expect they should), but really, the dynamic of the team's offense was thrown off a bit due to the team not having their 1C.

Koivu was moved back to the 1C position, which meant bottom six guys had to play some top six minutes as it had a domino effect.

But once Granlund came back, all the other forwards could be moved back to their best positions with their best paired linemates, and the offense flourished again.

I mentioned a while back, not sure if it was on this site or not, that Granlund's agent was said to be looking for a long term, big money deal for his client, and that I thought Minnesota should think real hard about that, and see if others can do what Granlund could at a cheaper salary.

Well, I no longer think that.

Granlund has proved that amongst his own peers in age on the team, he really has no equal, and he will only get better, which means it won't be long before he can be comparable to almost any good top veteran forward in the league.

I say the Wild should crunch the numbers and see how they will be able to fit this guy into their future plans and lock him up for a long time....even if it means parting with some other young talent on the team, because frankly, at this stage, as good as some of those other young guys can be, they aren't the difference maker that Granlund is now and is destined to become.

I raised the ire of more than a few Wild fans when I suggested about two seasons ago that Granlund would be the 1C that Mikko Koivu could never be.

And it's not that I don't like Koivu, like some fans thought, its just that, really, he is a 2C at best, but ideally, an EXCELLENT two way 3C who could produce if given some equally skilled bruising type wingers.

But Granlund really is special...or at least, has the potential to be.

I saw it a bit in the World Juniors from a few years ago when he still played in the Finnish Elite league and when he came over to the Americas, he struggled a bit with the North American close quarters type game, was sent to the minors, honed his skills and came back a different player...a BETTER player...in very short order.

That tells me the guy can see what is going on, make adjustments without changing his style too much and STILL play with the NHL's best.

And you know what?

I think other teams in the league know he is becoming a very dangerous and key piece of Minnesota's offense and in just about every game, the nastiest type defensemen are assigned to him, the other team's biggest bruisers are always taking runs at him trying to intimidate him....hey, teams wouldn't bother so much if he was just this little Euro guy who can skate a bit.

They recognize his skill now, and what it could be, and want to make sure he isn't too comfortable because then he will burn teams on a regular basis.

To Granlund's credit, he isn't letting any of that stuff faze him either.

His own teammates realize what an important piece he is and you will ALWAYS see someone retaliate whenever runs are taken at Granlund.

Just this season in fact, the Wild had to do without Mikael for a stretch. Coincidentally, the offense struggled.

Yea, some others stepped up (as one would expect they should), but really, the dynamic of the team's offense was thrown off a bit due to the team not having their 1C.

Koivu was moved back to the 1C position, which meant bottom six guys had to play some top six minutes as it had a domino effect.

But once Granlund came back, all the other forwards could be moved back to their best positions with their best paired linemates, and the offense flourished again.

I mentioned a while back, not sure if it was on this site or not, that Granlund's agent was said to be looking for a long term, big money deal for his client, and that I thought Minnesota should think real hard about that, and see if others can do what Granlund could at a cheaper salary.

Well, I no longer think that.

Granlund has proved that amongst his own peers in age on the team, he really has no equal, and he will only get better, which means it won't be long before he can be comparable to almost any good top veteran forward in the league.

I say the Wild should crunch the numbers and see how they will be able to fit this guy into their future plans and lock him up for a long time....even if it means parting with some other young talent on the team, because frankly, at this stage, as good as some of those other young guys can be, they aren't the difference maker that Granlund is now and is destined to become.

Well said TFG, i dont really watch Minnesota, but i like Granlund alot. Maybe i should watch them more

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Well said TFG, i dont really watch Minnesota, but i like Granlund alot. Maybe i should watch them more

Well, if you like Finnish players, the Wild are certainly the team to watch

Led by Granlund, you also have Koivu, Bergenheim, and if he ever gets to play again, Nik Backstrom.

And apparently ther IS something to playing with fellow countrymen, as Sean Bergenheim said during an interview on local airwaves that he fit right in playing with a guy like Mikko Koivu, despite never playing alongside him on an NHL ice sheet.

Turns out though, they are friends off the ice and he has also built up a rapport with Granlund as well.

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Well, if you like Finnish players, the Wild are certainly the team to watch

Led by Granlund, you also have Koivu, Bergenheim, and if he ever gets to play again, Nik Backstrom.

And apparently ther IS something to playing with fellow countrymen, as Sean Bergenheim said during an interview on local airwaves that he fit right in playing with a guy like Mikko Koivu, despite never playing alongside him on an NHL ice sheet.

Turns out though, they are friends off the ice and he has also built up a rapport with Granlund as well.

It all started with Teemu Selanne for me Since then, i have had a bias for Finnish players

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Well, if you like Finnish players, the Wild are certainly the team to watch

Led by Granlund, you also have Koivu, Bergenheim, and if he ever gets to play again, Nik Backstrom.

And apparently ther IS something to playing with fellow countrymen, as Sean Bergenheim said during an interview on local airwaves that he fit right in playing with a guy like Mikko Koivu, despite never playing alongside him on an NHL ice sheet.

Turns out though, they are friends off the ice and he has also built up a rapport with Granlund as well.

And to be fair, he has been playing much better of late in 4th line duties, no less.

You know, though, @MinnyNorthernLights , Haula is one of the 'younger talent' I alluded to in my big post where I said the Wild should pull out all the stops to sign Granlund long term...even if it meant parting with some others.

Fontaine, Schroeder, and even Jared Spurgeon could be others the Wild may need to grudgingly part with if it means keeping Granlund long term

1

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His fourth season at the age of 23 we have seen no significant improvement offensively for him to be considered a legitimate 1 C. Which is what im presuming were people's expectation of him. He is in his prime and this is when players typically start to flourish and Granlund has simply been dissatisfying. It seems as if Minnesota will remain without a true number 1 C.

His fourth season at the age of 23 we have seen no significant improvement offensively for him to be considered a legitimate 1 C. Which is what im presuming were people's expectation of him. He is in his prime and this is when players typically start to flourish and Granlund has simply been dissatisfying. It seems as if Minnesota will remain without a true number 1 C.

Well, let's see what happens the rest of the year.

New coach John Torchetti has pushed all the right buttons so far, even so far as to find a regular home (and subsequent production) from long dormant center Erik Haula, and most recently, Jason Pominville.

During this win streak the Wild are in now, Granlund has been moved to 2C (Koivu, as the team's longest tenured and most experienced center is back at 1C), and perhaps 2nd line duties (Vanek and Zucker as his wingers) will allow him to round his game out.

Jason Zucker, of course, suffered that injury in that big hit from Michal Roszival, so it will be interesting to see what replacement Coach Torchetti has for Granlund's LW linemate.

Agreed on having no challengers for the 1C position.
I raised the ire of more than a few Wild fans when I suggested about two seasons ago that Granlund would be the 1C that Mikko Koivu could never be.
And it's not that I don't like Koivu, like some fans thought, its just that, really, he is a 2C at best, but ideally, an EXCELLENT two way 3C who could produce if given some equally skilled bruising type wingers.
But Granlund really is special...or at least, has the potential to be.
I saw it a bit in the World Juniors from a few years ago when he still played in the Finnish Elite league and when he came over to the Americas, he struggled a bit with the North American close quarters type game, was sent to the minors, honed his skills and came back a different player...a BETTER player...in very short order.
That tells me the guy can see what is going on, make adjustments without changing his style too much and STILL play with the NHL's best.
And you know what?
I think other teams in the league know he is becoming a very dangerous and key piece of Minnesota's offense and in just about every game, the nastiest type defensemen are assigned to him, the other team's biggest bruisers are always taking runs at him trying to intimidate him....hey, teams wouldn't bother so much if he was just this little Euro guy who can skate a bit.
They recognize his skill now, and what it could be, and want to make sure he isn't too comfortable because then he will burn teams on a regular basis.
To Granlund's credit, he isn't letting any of that stuff faze him either.
His own teammates realize what an important piece he is and you will ALWAYS see someone retaliate whenever runs are taken at Granlund.
Just this season in fact, the Wild had to do without Mikael for a stretch. Coincidentally, the offense struggled.
Yea, some others stepped up (as one would expect they should), but really, the dynamic of the team's offense was thrown off a bit due to the team not having their 1C.
Koivu was moved back to the 1C position, which meant bottom six guys had to play some top six minutes as it had a domino effect.
But once Granlund came back, all the other forwards could be moved back to their best positions with their best paired linemates, and the offense flourished again.
I mentioned a while back, not sure if it was on this site or not, that Granlund's agent was said to be looking for a long term, big money deal for his client, and that I thought Minnesota should think real hard about that, and see if others can do what Granlund could at a cheaper salary.
Well, I no longer think that.
Granlund has proved that amongst his own peers in age on the team, he really has no equal, and he will only get better, which means it won't be long before he can be comparable to almost any good top veteran forward in the league.
I say the Wild should crunch the numbers and see how they will be able to fit this guy into their future plans and lock him up for a long time....even if it means parting with some other young talent on the team, because frankly, at this stage, as good as some of those other young guys can be, they aren't the difference maker that Granlund is now and is destined to become.

A bit of a sophomore slump.
Signing Vanek to work with him on the second line and having Vanek start wretchedly and Koivu playing horrible on the first line, Granlund took a step back. He will bounce back, probably this year.

I DID forget him didn't I?
Well, appropriate...he has been invisible most of the year!
But you are of course, correct, add him to the Minnesota Finns.
And to be fair, he has been playing much better of late in 4th line duties, no less.
You know, though, @MinnyNorthernLights , Haula is one of the 'younger talent' I alluded to in my big post where I said the Wild should pull out all the stops to sign Granlund long term...even if it meant parting with some others.
Fontaine, Schroeder, and even Jared Spurgeon could be others the Wild may need to grudgingly part with if it means keeping Granlund long term

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